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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Uh, Mr. TYC Conservator, aren't you a little tardy with that report?

The last Texas Youth Commission Conservator's report was published on May 2 when Jay Kimbrough still had the job. By statute, a conservator's report must be produced once every 60 days. According to the Texas Government Code:

§ 2104.024. REPORT. (a) The conservator shall report on a conservatorship under this subchapter to the governor and the legislative audit committee not later than the 60th day after the date the governor orders the conservatorship and at the end of each subsequent 60-day period until the conservatorship is dissolved. (b) The report must include a description of the measures taken to ensure that the state agency complies with state fiscal management policies and an estimate of the progress the conservator has made in attaining that goal.

So with the last report out on May 2, the next one should have come out on July 2, right? That was 44 days ago, and counting.

I wonder when we're going to see another conservator's report? I've raised the issue before on this blog, to little effect. Mr. Owens already is out of compliance with the statute - it's been nearly four months since the conservator last reported to the Legislature and the public about what's going on with the agency. That seems like a minimal requirement given the kind of money he's making.

I'm also hoping we'll see the FAQ developed from TYC's state of the agency tour released sometime this week.

40 comments:

Rumor is that there was a legislative briefing yesterday on the reforms by TYC executive administration. They provided key legislative staff with a variety of reports that I'm hoping they will choose to make available on the TYC website and to interested members of the public. There may be a conservator's report in there. It would be a damn shame if Grits had to actually do an open records request for a copy of this information, rather than than the agency releasing the information voluntarily.

Do you think the information that they give the Lege will be accurate. Statistics show that JCO turnover, worker's comp claims, and youth on youth assaults have dramatically increased in the past few months. Do you think Mr. Owens and Ms. Pope will provide accurate information that shows that there has clearly been no reform to the Agency and we are worse now than ever?

Amazing isn't it Grits. Fire at will, hmmm, makes you wonder now doesn't it. Now they are giving reports to key legislative staff and not the public, that we can HOPE we don't have to do an open records for. No answers to the state of the agency questions? While the top administration is so quick to threaten employees with their jobs, they have yet to do theirs. And Grits, the top administration has told others, who cares about policy, fire anyone if they complain or raise concerns, so, I guess they could care less about what the law says for the report from the conservator.

Here the Conservator’s Report ----Well we all been doin a damn good job of keeping the focus off the real scam going down here. We gonna do some contract care, you watch and see if we don’t. I got money on this with some of my big polecat I mean political friends. We also doin a mighty fine job of keeping the heat offa Mr. Good Hair Perry. We gonna pepper spray the little criminals into line or send them on to TDCJ for future job security. We don’t need no stinking Resocializaion Program we got pepper spray by the truck loads. If any of the little bas***ds have asthma then they better stay in line cause the gonna get sprayed.We gave the case managers a big ole raise and they are still quiting. What the hell is up with that? Them damn case manager 3s got a $1000 a month bump, what the hell else do they want?We doin lots o good things at TYC and making a hell of a improvement. We have comed a long way since we took over. TYC is a real Texas prison system now. We hiring all our old screw-up buddies from TDCJ and getten them off welfare. Is that a two-fer or what dog?We are drawing up plans for a Texas Draft. We so short on folks who will work for us we need to force some folks to work for us. We lookin at 5 years mandatory service for every man and woman when they turn age 21. That will take care of the staff shortage problems and no retiredment to boot. Another two-fer!At TYC there are no problems, only hair brained solutions. The witch Pope can brew up some good chock and is send all the members of the Legislature a bottle. Boy don’t open near an open flame. I wish everyone one would lay off Pope. It aint nice to screw with the mentally ill, you never know what they will do to you. Hell I don’t even screw with her!I hoipe that pesky white boy Scott Henson is happpppy with my report. Mr. Smarty Pants it was not late I was just saving it till later.We will not doubt come up with some new and innovative new juvenile programs for the troubled children of Texas. One new idea on the drawing board is the new Juvenile Death Chamber which will be located at the Mart Unit. We will be having a public hearing on the method of execution. The accounting department tells me the cheapest method is a plastic bag over the head. I asked for the numbers on a full body bag so they would be ready to plant. I am still waiting to herd back from the bean counters.Looks like the Fire the Felon Fiasco is going to cost the tax payers a ton o cash but it aint my money and that was Jay Bird’s screw-up not mine so don’t be holden that to me. The news media has finally quit screwen with us so much. I knew they would move on and this would blow over, it always does. I aint as stupid as I look, I know about these things.TYC dead beat employees please don’t quit you job we need you for a little longer then you can go to hell when we done with you. Your friend, leader, and mentor, Ed Owens Conservator of TYC

Now, Grits, what makes you think that the conservator is concerned with what the law requires? Have you seen any evidence that the conservator intends to comply with any laws? 19 and 20 year olds have been held since June 8th, which is probably a violation of several criminal statutes much less SB 103.

5:58 - What makes you think that is TYC's fault? All the 19 & 20 year olds who are still in TYC are Sentenced Offenders. There are two choices under the Human Resources Code: they can either be released on TDCJ Parole, or they can be transferred to TDCJ-ID. Problem is, it takes the judge of the committing court to transfer to TDCJ-ID. That means they have to get on the docket. Our brilliant legislators did not factor that in when they passed SB 103. We already know how the lege reacted when TYC tried to move some of these kids to TDCJ parole. The brilliant legislature created a true "Catch 22". Read the law before you start shooting off your mouth!

As I have worked at TYC in all of these last few crazy months, I wonder if anybody would be proud of this state of Texas. We taught thinking errors in the past and at present they are still in effect. I know I know these are part of the dead treatment program but let me finish typing. I think I am using 9 of them to help me maintain and try to think that Texas works. Inside, in that secret part of myself, I don't think Texas is working.

Under SB 103, 19 and 20 year old sentenced offenders should have been placed on TDCJ parole as soon as possible after June 8th. TYC lost its jurisdiction to hold onto those youth and also its jurisdiction to request a transfer hearing. Holding onto them on on August 14th is inexcusable regardless of any blame. The law does not care who is to blame. 5:58 is correct on the law. You are not. If you have a legal basis to get around SB 103 and the jurisdictional as well as the statutory mandate, I would like to hear it.

I know several TYC lawyers who questioned the fiscal mismanagement requirement and several CPA's who wondered how the State Auditor could say that a sexual preditor being on a state payroll constitutes gross fiscal mismanagement.

Howard I liked you when you worked at TYC, and as far as I am concerned you should be in charge now. If you run for office, and if you decide to be a republican, I will make one exception and vote for you.

anyway, too bad we did not get to say goodbye in a more civil and socialable fashion.

Except that TDCJ parole refused to accept them and they were backed up by the very legislators who drafted SB 103. They forced Marie Murdoch out because she tried to follow the law. It seems the legislators and the governor care not a whit for the law they passed and he signed.

What really bothers me is nothing has been done to fix the problem that started this mess. At root, the problem was a man with 20 write-ups and 9 reprimands was promoted to a position of power. Then everyone was afraid to cross him for fear of losing his or her job. Then, he had to find a cause to fire someone, but now TDCJ people can be hired for knowing the right people and can fire those that cross them for "not going along with the changes." If I were to witness one of these TDCJ supervisors actually in the act of molesting a student at one our facilities, I would be fired immedietely, and my complaint would only be heard in this forum. Otherwise, I'll be dismissed as a disgruntled employee. Presently, WTSS has an Assistant Superintendent I know and trust, but just about everyone on management team is now being supervised by someone at CO. There won't be any more scandals such as the one we had, not because it won't happen, but because you'll never hear about it.As far as I can see the changes have actually exacerbated the problem they claim to be fixing.

Guess you read Mike Ward's revelations this morning? I guess it's pretty hard to give an update when all around you are losing it...there actaully has been some small progress in revamping some of the operations and services at TYC. Then there is the big BUT....the chaos is now all-encompassing, staff still don't know what has changed or happened from day-to-day, the youth, their parents and the community aren't receiving the services promised, etc.etc.etc.

We're 9 months into this process and there is no plan that has been revealed to employees, youth,or the legislature.

No news about Brookins and Hernandez. No news about any proceedings against any TYC administrators who were involved in hiding the facts. No news about when the reorganization structure will come into play and who will be in those positions.

To be clear, 8:47, nobody to my knowledge has accused Ed Owens of sexual harassment!

What you're likely referring to is the settled lawsuit alleging that Owens knew about sexual harassment allegations against an employee who was later convicted of related criminal charges, Sammy Buentello. See here for more background and related court documents. Terms of last year's settlement are sealed, but rumors from two different sources indicated that TDCJ spent in the mid-six figures to keep the issue from going to court.

If accurate, that's not a nuisance settlement, that's real money. So I think it's possible (though unproven) that Owens may have covered up certain complaints. But please don't imply Mr. Owens himself was subject of a sexual harassment allegation - that's just not true. best,

What really started the spiral towards bikini bottom were the poor decisions by the lege as early as 95,96,& 97 to build open bay dorms and not allow for the proper staffing of our units all in the name of "saving" money not our youth. That happened way before the sexopades in West Texas, hell it probably aided in that. If we had had the right people and the right numbers we needed, TDCJ would not have been able to dump Brookins on us because we'd have seen him coming. The lege wants everyone to think it was sex that brought sunk the ship instead of their real screwup up. Some of these folks have their name on the brass plate on the admin building and God forbid they lose an election because they were drunk in Austin. They'd do anything to cover that up and what they've allowed to happen to TYC is the proof in the puddin.

I Ed Owens truly wrote the portion with his name signed at the bottom, that only goes to prove what idiots he and Gov. Good Hair really are. What a horrible description of his job. I would so embarrassed to have my name on a, cannot call that literature, piece of words through together I would want to hide. Mr. Ed, the horse was smarter than Mr. Ed, whatever he is. How insulting to the State of Texas.

Those of you who have been arguing that the under-19 provision will push more kids into the adult system will find support in this piece.

It is interesting to see how local juvenile authorities are revolting against this band-aid legislation but for different reasons. You have Houston, whose objections seem to be that the TYC warehouse has closed to a number of their offenders; but then you have Beaumont, which actually expresses concern about rehabilitation.

One would expect that legislators are getting an earful from their local law enforcement and juvenile authorities.

Yes 4:42 you are right. It does tell us a lot. It tells us they've got better people now, you know, the kind who REALLY know how to cover up stuff. While they're at it, they've also hired people who do not tell their employees anything. "Keep 'em guessing" seems to be the biggest thing on the "to do" list at Central Office. Our Govenor should be stepping in. Where the heck is he and why doesn't he give a sh*t?

Grits asked this question, why is it that from July 2006 to July 2007 TYC has experienced 3 times more JCO staff turnover. The last 5 months have been the worst the agency has ever seen in regards to JCO vacancies.

Now of course you will be told we are about to add 500 more JCO staff to the mix, but we are over 500 down now, and extra 500 amounts to nada, zippo, if you cannot fill open vacancies today.

This has not been addressed and we are losing more staff daily. At what point will the Governor step in and say enough is enough?

What is amazing to me, is that this all started because some people in positions of "authority" over youth, decided to get sexual with it-now the entire system has been scrapped. Many scholarly articles have touted the success of the TYC rehabilitation system. Now, because some men couldn't keep their privates in check, the State has decided to completely collapse a system that was sound in its attempts to help kids to stay out of prison. Great job Texas! Way to take a sex scandal and make it a reason to build more prisons. Days of our Lives couldn't have done it better. Kuddos to you. EMC

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